By David O. Volpi, MD
If you or someone you love has a heart failure condition, not
sleeping well can double the likelihood of being hospitalized, according
to new research by the European Society of Cardiology.
In April, the European Society of Cardiology presented a study at EuroHeartCare 2014 showing that poor sleep doubles hospitalizations in heart failure patients. EuroHeartCare is the official annual meeting of the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (CCNAP) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
The lead author, Dr. Peter Johansson, is a heart failure nurse at the University Hospital of Linköping, Sweden. He explained, "Sleep is important for everyone and we all have to sleep to feel good. We know that sleep problems are common among patients with heart failure, but until now there was no data on whether poor sleep persists over time and how that relates to hospitalizations."
The researchers studied 499 patients hospitalized for heart failure. During the initial hospitalization, they collected information on their physical functioning, mental health and sleep. They were then asked a simple but important question: "Was your sleep restless?"
After 12 months, the researchers recorded the number and cause of unplanned hospitalizations and assessed the patients’ quality of sleep again. They found that 215 patients—43 percent—said they slept restlessly when they were initially hospitalized. And nearly one-third—30 percent—still experienced sleep problems 12 months later.
The take away for the researchers was that patients with continued sleep problems were twice as likely to be hospitalized during the follow up period than those without any sleep problems, and their risk doubled for all-cause hospitalizations and cardiovascular hospitalizations.
Per the results of the study, Dr. Johansson was spot on in his message to the public:
"Our study shows that some patients with heart failure have chronic sleep problems and this more than doubles their risk of unplanned hospitalizations—it underlines the impact that sleep can have on health.”
He added, "Patients may have poor sleep hygiene, which means they do things that prevent them from getting a good night's sleep. These include drinking coffee or too much alcohol late at night, having a bedroom that is too hot or too cold, or having upsetting conversations before going to bed."
And kudos to Dr. Johansson for also addressing the importance of attentive healthcare professionals, "Patients who say they consistently have poor sleep should be taken seriously, and we need to ask all our heart failure patients whether they sleep well and if not, find out why."
Poor sleep patterns and sleep habits have reached epidemic proportions in our nation, yet getting quality, restful sleep is exactly what we need to help us feel alert and stay healthy. If you are having trouble sleeping, please get checked out by a qualified doctor—especially if you have a heart failure condition.
Read the full study, “Poor sleep doubles hospitalizations in heart failure patients.”
If you or someone you love has a heart failure condition, not
sleeping well can double the likelihood of being hospitalized, according
to new research by the European Society of Cardiology.In April, the European Society of Cardiology presented a study at EuroHeartCare 2014 showing that poor sleep doubles hospitalizations in heart failure patients. EuroHeartCare is the official annual meeting of the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (CCNAP) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
The lead author, Dr. Peter Johansson, is a heart failure nurse at the University Hospital of Linköping, Sweden. He explained, "Sleep is important for everyone and we all have to sleep to feel good. We know that sleep problems are common among patients with heart failure, but until now there was no data on whether poor sleep persists over time and how that relates to hospitalizations."
The researchers studied 499 patients hospitalized for heart failure. During the initial hospitalization, they collected information on their physical functioning, mental health and sleep. They were then asked a simple but important question: "Was your sleep restless?"
After 12 months, the researchers recorded the number and cause of unplanned hospitalizations and assessed the patients’ quality of sleep again. They found that 215 patients—43 percent—said they slept restlessly when they were initially hospitalized. And nearly one-third—30 percent—still experienced sleep problems 12 months later.
The take away for the researchers was that patients with continued sleep problems were twice as likely to be hospitalized during the follow up period than those without any sleep problems, and their risk doubled for all-cause hospitalizations and cardiovascular hospitalizations.
Per the results of the study, Dr. Johansson was spot on in his message to the public:
"Our study shows that some patients with heart failure have chronic sleep problems and this more than doubles their risk of unplanned hospitalizations—it underlines the impact that sleep can have on health.”
He added, "Patients may have poor sleep hygiene, which means they do things that prevent them from getting a good night's sleep. These include drinking coffee or too much alcohol late at night, having a bedroom that is too hot or too cold, or having upsetting conversations before going to bed."
And kudos to Dr. Johansson for also addressing the importance of attentive healthcare professionals, "Patients who say they consistently have poor sleep should be taken seriously, and we need to ask all our heart failure patients whether they sleep well and if not, find out why."
Poor sleep patterns and sleep habits have reached epidemic proportions in our nation, yet getting quality, restful sleep is exactly what we need to help us feel alert and stay healthy. If you are having trouble sleeping, please get checked out by a qualified doctor—especially if you have a heart failure condition.
Read the full study, “Poor sleep doubles hospitalizations in heart failure patients.”
